The Spanish Government grants nationality to Austrian Holocaust survivor Peter René Pérez.
The Government has granted Spanish nationality by naturalisation to 87-year-old Austrian Holocaust survivor Peter René Pérez, according to the Official State Gazette (BOE).
This decision was made at the proposal of the Minister of the Presidency, Justice, and Relations with Parliament, Félix Bolaños, in recognition of the exceptional circumstances surrounding Peter René Pérez, following deliberation by the Council of Ministers.
The granting of nationality will take effect in accordance with the requirements, conditions, and timeframes established in the Civil Code. It also confers upon him the status of common civil residency.
Born in Vienna (Austria) in 1936, Peter René Pérez was part of the Sephardic Jewish community of Vienna, which at the time comprised around 1,000 people. In 1938, after being warned of the imminent arrest of Jews by the Gestapo, his father and uncle managed to escape to Paris. His brother also fled in the following months on a transport for Jewish children. However, Peter and his mother, who was Catholic, remained in Vienna until 1939.
Following advice from his grandfather to flee to Paris while it was still possible, Peter René and his mother obtained passports under the pretext that he needed “sea air” for a health condition.
They eventually reached Paris, but as Nazi troops advanced into France, Peter and his family fled south. In 1941, they were interned in the Rivesaltes Camp, which was used to enforce the French decree on the administrative internment of “undesirable foreigners.” Established in 1948 in France, this decree aimed to confine individuals deemed a “potential danger” to the country.
